New eateries open in Rochester

ROCHESTER — Some new dining options will tempt residents and visitors who venture out for a bite to eat this winter and spring.

Recipes Rochester, a breakfast and lunch restaurant with locations in Troy and Farmington Hills, recently opened up a new location at 134 W. University Drive in Rochester.

Owners Trung Huynh and Josh Demski said it was easy to select Rochester for the third Recipes location.

“We were talking about how fun it would be to expand to Rochester, which is closer to home for us and has a lot of families,” Demski said. “It really fits our clientele.”

Demski said the location was a no-brainer due to its close proximity to Rochester Municipal Park, ample nearby parking and multiple entrances.

The 4,000-square-foot location — the largest of the three restaurants — seats 150 people, with two private rooms for parties. The Rochester location is the only one approved to serve alcohol.

“For a brunch location, having Spanish as well as Asian dishes really sets us apart,” Demski said.

Among popular classics, he said, huevos de paco and a handful of Vietnamese dishes are also popular.

Dino’s Cookie Dough Bar is slated to open at 111 E. University Drive in downtown Rochester in April.

Dino Prapas said he and his parents, Krazy Greek Restaurant owners George and Barbara Prapas, decided to turn the diner into a cookie dough bar after 43 years in business.

“My dad is 73 and my mom is 68, so we wanted to transfer into something that would be a little bit easier to work (with), something that was kind of trendy and something that was kind of different,” Dino Prapas said. “When you are in the restaurant business 43 years, it kind of becomes stagnant — doing the same thing over and over again. With this kind of venture, we can really get creative. We can do a lot of different things.”

The new shop, which is in the process of being completely remodeled, will serve 15 flavors of cookie dough — including a couple of gluten-free and dairy-free options — plus 16 flavors of ice cream, along with milkshakes, cookies and speciality cakes.

“The wall that separates the customers and the kitchen is going to be a glass wall, so you will actually be able to watch us making fresh cookie dough all day long,” Dino Prapas said.